In recent years, packaging materials produced from macroalgal biomass have shown promising results as an alternative to plastic packaging. However, for macroalgal-based packaging, little information exists on the potential environmental impacts of their biodegradation on aquatic ecosystems after improper disposal (e.g. littering). Within the framework of the SafeSeaPack project, we will address the following research questions: 1) how fast does macroalgal-based packaging degrade in aquatic (freshwater, brackish and marine) environments? 2) what pathogens adsorb to the packaging material during degradation? 3) what heavy metals, if any, adsorb to the packaging material during degradation? and 4) are the pathogens and pollutants that adsorb to the packaging material transferred into the surrounding food webs?

The degradation of the packaging material in aquatic environments is monitored using OxiTops, which monitor oxygen, pH and temperature conditions. You can see how the structure of the packaging material changes during degradation. Further studies will investigate how the bacterial communities are impacted by the degradation.